Monday March 30, 2009

Today we woke up dreading the hoops and bounds it took for us to get back to Florence. We didn’t have to leave for the airport until 1pm so I set out alone to finish my roll of film and hopefully find some new shoes. Italian shoes are not made for my wide feet so I was hoping I would have better luck in plus sized Greece. I quickly came across many sales and comfortable shoes! My final purchases were a pair of black patent leather flats and a pair of red flats with an aged brass buckle.

I spent the rest of my time snapping pictures on my way down to meet the girls for one last gyro at the spot we ate two night before. As much as I’ll miss Greek food it’s probably a good thing I’m not studying abroad in Athens because I’d probably come home the size of a house.
From there began our use of every mode of public transportation to get home. Our flight from Athens to Milan went smoothly but we had to wait forever for our luggage and the bus to the train station. By the time we arrived at the train station the last train to Florence had left and the next one wasn’t until 5:45am the next day.

Our original plan was to camp out at the station in an effort to save some money but soon learned the station actually closed at 1am and we would be kicked out. With no other option but to stay in a hostel for the night I called Papa Phil to rescue us and look up a place to stay within walking distance of the station.

Hotel Demo was practically across the street and much nicer than any of the other hostels we had stayed in…no bunk beds, private room, and our own bathroom…and not anymore expensive either! We slept for a few hours and caught the 5:45 train home to Florence. Minus this slight bump in the road, the trip overall was incredible. I didn’t anticipate being able to go to Greece while I was abroad but I’m so happy I could and will never forget it!